Double Vision During Commute Reveals Stage IV Kidney Cancer with Brain Tumors

Joe Gillette experienced double vision in one eye while driving on a highway that had widened from three lanes to four. He attributed the symptom to a recent COVID-19 infection and booked a doctor appointment the same day. His physician ordered an eye specialist visit and a brain scan.

The specialist identified nerve damage in the right eye as the cause of the double vision, yet Gillette proceeded with the brain scan on his 57th birthday. A patient portal notification delivered the initial cancer finding while he was out with his wife. His doctor later confirmed Stage IV kidney cancer, with two brain tumors plus additional tumors in the bones, lymph nodes, lungs and pancreas.

A biopsy established that all tumors were metastases from the kidney. Dr. Martin Voss, Gillette's oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, began treatment with immunotherapy, followed by radiation and brain surgery.

Gillette spent ten weeks in a medically induced coma after the operation. After waking, he completed physical and occupational therapy, then received further radiation that shrank the tumors. Two years of immunotherapy followed, and in April 2024 surgeons removed the original kidney tumor; he left the hospital three days later.

Gillette now takes daily oral immunotherapy and meets his care team every six to eight weeks. Regular MRIs and endoscopies monitor for recurrence. Less than 20 percent of Stage IV kidney cancer patients survive five years, according to the American Cancer Society.